Partnership Drives Building Product Transparency

The U.S. Green Building Council and Underwriter Laboratories
have announced an exclusive strategic partnership centered on
building product transparency and occupant health and safety.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Underwriter Laboratories (UL) have announced an exclusive strategic partnership centered on building product transparency and occupant health and safety.

The partnership, the first of its kind in the building and certification industry, will roll out several targeted initiatives. The goal of the program is to accelerate market transformation and the overall quality and performance of buildings.

The first initiative of the partnership is the creation of a joint Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). EPDs are a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product or system. The joint USGBC-UL EPDs are a solution to increase transparency in building materials and products that are being used in our buildings, homes, schools, hospitals, and other structures.

“Buyers are demanding to know the full extent of a product’s environmental and health impacts,” said USGBC President, CEO, and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi. “Transparency into the impacts of a product at each stage of its lifecycle has become a critical driver of purchases and specifications. Since this market is still evolving, and because the quality and consistency of data can vary greatly, we are working diligently to ensure that buyers and LEED users can trust that the information on which they rely is accurate, and that it complies with the new credit requirements.”

EPDs provide a credit achievement path in LEED v4. More information on this partnership can be found at USGBC.